Tire for amphibious airplanes and vehicles



Aug. 23, 1949. R. A. BELL TIRE FOR AMI HIB IOUS AIRPLANES AND VEHICLESFiled April 18, 1945 Fig. 2.

SPONGE RUBBER Fig. 4.

RUBBER/ZED FABRIC l4 3 Inveniar Raw/and A. Bell By 2 am atented Aug. 23,194g TIRE FOR AMPHIBIOUS AIRPLANES AND I V VEHICLESH. g

Rowland A. BeIL Miam iQFIa. q I ApplicationApril 18, 1945, Serial No.589,001 r This invention relates to tires and in particular to tires forairplanes, although the construction is usable for tire designs made forland or for amphibious vehicles.

' g The principal object of the invention is to provide airplane tireswhich may be used on planes which operate both from land and water andwhich give favorable water characteristics to tires, which will permitlandin on ordinary air fields as well as on undeveloped air fields orlanding grounds with a soft or marshy soil, and which increasemaneuverability of the plane on such soil.

According to the invention the tire is provided with spray tubesarranged on both sides and protruding from the normal round or torusprofile. These spray tubes increase the buoyancy of the tires andprovide a streamlined profile with a relatively large base for pressingdownwardly, characteristics which are favorable for the taking ofimaneuvers from the water.

n land the spray tubes contribute to spread the surface on which theplane rests, so that landing in general and maneuvering on the soft ormarshy ground of undeveloped air fields is facilitated to a markedextent.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe following detailed specification which describes and illustrates twomodifications of the invention. It is, however, to be understood thatthese modifications are described by way of example only.

The accompanying drawings illustrate these modifications.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevational side view of one modification of a tire of anairplane.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the same modification, the section beintaken along any plane passing through the axis of the wheel.

Figure 3 is partly sectional front view of a portion of the tire on anenlarged scale.

Figure 4 is a sectional view through a second modification, the sectionbeing taken along any plane passing through the axis of the wheel.

Figure 5 is a partly sectional front view of the same modification on anenlarged scale.

In the modification of an amphibious airplane tire illustrated inFigures 1 to 3, a tire I with an inner tube 2 is shown seated on thecustomary hub member [0. The carcass of the tire which is made of theusual rubberized cord fabric carries the tread 3 made of tread rubber.Into this rubber the spray tubes 4 are embedded at the time when thetire is manufactured, and said 1 Claim. (01.152935?) j with other tires.

carcass, and tread are molded accordingly and areunited withthespraytubes. 7 i

The spray tubes ,4 may be made in various different manners. 'They maybe made of heavy and tough rubberized fabric alone (Figure 3 right side)or of such fabric covered with tough rubber as shown in Figure 3 leftside. They may also be made either as single tube tires (Figure 5) orthey may be provided with an inner tube 5 as illustrated in Figure 3.While the former case is described later, the spray tubes provided withinner tubes 5 are inflatable.

As is clearly seen from Figures 2 and 3 the spray tubes 4 are embeddedapproximately to the extent of one-half of their diameter, which permitsabout one-half of the spray tube to protrude outwardly. The depth of theembedded portion may be increased by providing the tread at this placewith an outwardly extending ledge portion 6 in which the spray tube isseated.

It will be clear that the spray tubes 4 are able to fulfill a multiplefunction. When in the water they will not increase to any appreciableextent th resistance or friction. On the other hand, they will increasebuoyancy and they form together with the tread a pressure surface whichis extended laterally to a great extent. The pressure surface on whichthe wheel rests is as large, if not larger, that that of a square of thesame diameter, especially when the pressure flattens the tire somewhat.

This enlargement of the ground pressure surface of the tire is ofspecial importance for the landing or tak off maneuvers on land, and inparticular on airfields with no prepared ground .or with imperfectlyprepared ground. The increase in surface on which the airplane restswill permit negotiating of soft or marshy soil, which would presentheavy obstacles to wheels Moreover, in spite of the fiattening of thetire and of its resting on the spray tubes circumferential grooves willremain (at the places marked with the reference letter 1) which permitto eject loose material and which, in soft and slippery rounds, willcause the formation of guiding wedges on the ground, keeping the wheelon its track and acting as an anti-skid means.

Instead of carrying an inner tube as indicated in Figure 3 the spraytube l4 may be of such thickness relatively to the empty spacesurrounded that it is able to support itself in its original shapewithout any air pressure (Figures 4 and 5). It is sponge rubber asindicated in the right half of Figure 2 so that the elasticity of thesponge assists in the recovering of the original shape afterdeformation, while permitting such deformation under load pressure.

In the modification shown in Figures 4 and 5 the tire I is shown asbeing of a conventional single tube design with a carcass provided witha tread 29 1- 2 1 2 W l membe The spray 'tiibes l4 inthis case"a :spfar"tubes or the sirigl' tube typ"which are fastened to tHe carcass ortread by means of circumferential stri s I I of rubberized fabric fixedon tire and spray tube by vulcanization or any otheiftbnVemnt process.

The spray tubes l4 whether provided with iiiiiif tubes, or single tubesmay be inflated by means, .pf,

the conventional valve (not shown) w r used e gee Wm.

l thod permits to use spray tubesj cilarger diameter.

I claim:

A tire for amphibious use, for airplanes and other vehicles, comprisinga carcass and a tread fixed thereon, circumferentially arranged lateralspray tubes on both sides of said tread, and means fixing said spraytubes on the tires including circumferential strips of rubberizedfabric.

BZQWLQND a. BELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the are ofthis" patent! gNrrED STATES PATENTS

